Casino operators need to monitor roulette games for a variety of reasons. For example, automatically displaying the winning number of a roulette game together with a recent history of winning numbers is useful for the players and croupier. The results of a live roulette game linked to remote electronic gaming machines must also be communicated to the remote machines so that the remote machines may be informed of the winning numbers. Security (e.g. fraud detection) is also of increased importance to casino managers, and monitoring any suspicious activity in and around a roulette wheel is desirable. Furthermore, it is desirable for casino operators to monitor the randomness of the winning numbers, as well analyse general statistical data gathered during roulette games, such as a history of winning numbers, number of games per hour, etc. This information can allow the operators to maximise revenue, ensure fraud prevention (e.g. by monitoring the players around the roulette wheel), and increase the efficiency with which the games are run.
Current systems for monitoring roulette games may use cameras mounted on the edge of the wheel (see, for instance, WO 95/28996 and WO 01/52957) to detect the winning number by analysing a small section of the wheel at a time. A drawback of this system is that at least two revolutions of the wheel are required to confirm that the ball has come to rest in a pocket. In alternative monitoring systems, such as the ones disclosed in WO 95/11067, GB 2084830 A and EP 1710000 A1, video cameras are mounted externally to the wheel. These systems can cause problems for monitoring the wheel in that any movement or changing of the wheel will disrupt the monitoring.
The present invention seeks to overcome these and other disadvantages of the prior art.